Briton rescued in kidnap drama

British engineer Tim Selby and two Danish men were dramatically rescued today after army commandos stormed a forest hide-out where kidnappers had been holding them captive for a month in a remote area of Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi armed forces fired dozens of shots as they moved in on the kidnappers.

Dozens of commandos found the hostages sitting in a hut made from bamboo and straw in the village of Nakshichari in south-east Bangladesh.

They were unharmed, but the kidnappers fled. The Bangladeshi troops were scouring the forest to locate them.

As Mr Selby's girlfriend, parents and brother toasted his release with champagne in his home town of Oldham, he and the two Danes were flown to Dhaka to be debriefed by Bangladeshi authorities about their ordeal.

Arrangements were being made to renunite them with their families as quickly as possible.

Mr Selby, 28, and the Danes, Torben Mikkelsen and Nils Hulgaard, were said to be in remarkably good condition after their kidnap ordeal and the drama of their release.

Foreign Office minister John Battle, who has responsibility for Bangladesh, said no money had been paid to the kidnappers.

Mr Selby, Mr Mikkelsen, 48, and Mr Hulgaard, 64, were seized at gunpoint by suspected tribal rebels at Guniapara in the southeastern Chittagong Hill Tracts on February 16 as they worked on a road project for the Danish company Kampsax.

The kidnappers had been demanding a ransom of £1.1 million. Bangladeshi authorities refused to pay the ransom but offered an amnesty to the kidnappers yesterday if they freed the captives.

The kidnappers are believed to be militants opposed to a peace treaty between the government and the Shanti Bahini, guerillas who fought a 25-year war for independence for the region, bordering India and Burma.

Today's raid came the day after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received letters from her British and Danish counterparts, said AP.

Two officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of Britain and a police officer from Denmark joined government negotiators Wednesday in seeking the hostages' release. Two Scotland Yard officials also helped local authorities.

"The gunmen pushed us to our limits," said Brigadier Golam Rabbani who led the military operation to free them.

The army used microphones to urge the gunmen to release the hostages and surrender and then fired dozens of shots as they stormed the hide-out, said Rabbani.

"There were three huts. We found the hostages in one of the huts. They appeared panicked," he added.

After their release Mr Selby and the Danes were taken to an army camp and then flown by army helicopter to Dhaka.

Their shirts and jeans were soaked in sweat and the three men looked exhausted, but waved to the crowd of diplomats and military officers who greeted them at Dhaka's Tejgaon Airport, said AP.

They did not speak to reporters, but they had earlier told Brigadier Rabbani how the gunmen often moved their camp, but that they were always kept together.

Mr Selby's brother Jon said: "We are elated. It's unbelievable." Jon and his wife Joanne and parents Margaret and Alf cracked open a bottle of champagne their home in Oldham on hearing confirmation of Tim's release at 6am.

Jon said: "It's fantastic news. We were naturally very cautious when we heard unconfirmed reports at about 3am but now it's been confirmed we can't believe it.

"Our main concern now is his health - his mental health as well as physical. But we've heard reports he was seen walking and smiling, and that sounds like a good sign."

Later he was able to speak to Tim on the telephone and said his brother appeared to be in good health.

Mr Battle praised the Bangladeshi authorities for their "background work" in helping to secure freedom for Mr Selby and the two Danes, saying: "We are every grateful to the Bangladeshi authorities for their co-operation in bringing this to a successful solution. There are no easy quick fixes. We are just grateful we have a successful conclusion."

Before they fly home, the three men were being debriefed about their ordeal in the hope that the authorities could learn lessons to prevent similar incidents in the future, said Mr Battle.

"They are looking fit and well and are in remarkable spirits after their ordeal of the last month," he said.